'Unfoolable ‘Physical/emotional Overload Meter’….plug yourself in daily…green orange red….’keep that shit in the orange or I’m pulling the plug’ I think I’ve been full double red for a while now and have blown a fuse.'

What's up with Gold? Got an opinion? I'm a big believer in the idea that colours, images, and patterns cycle through our collective consciousness for a reason. Certain patterns, shapes, colours explode into popularity not just because we are all sheep following the sheep before us that decided this week was pentagon week but because there's something to that pattern or colour that we need right now to move forward and evolve. The hexagon explosion was pretty clear, I'm still not sure what that all meant but suddenly they were everywhere!!! For me not just all over clothing, advertising and art but also hovering on the edges like fairies, not quite perceivable with my feeble human eyes :) Hexagons in the sky!!!

So gold! Is it just me? I dunno. I've never been attracted to it. Maybe the association to weath repelled me? Maybe mum gave me silver earrings when I was a kid and then someone promptly told me that wearing silver AND gold was a major fashion faux pas and so I therefore became a 'silver person'....But lately, I love it! I freakin love it! And it's everywhere! My shop just stocked a new label called Serpentine that pretty much only makes black and gold things, an interesting timing coincidence to me deciding to print black and gold in this rounds limited edition. In a shop with over 9000 items, I don't think I've ever seen a black and gold piece of clothing, then I decide it's time for gold and then suddenly there's an influx :) Our newest team member rocks the black and gold. Gold studs and adornments everywhere (i'm staring at hexagon shaped gold studs as i write this)

So if i pass over the more boring possibility that someone up the fashion chain decided it was time for gold and we are all sheep....then what's the more interesting possibility. That there's something going on here...

A quick little googling reveals the following ideas from other people waffling on the internet:

"In the meaning of colors, gold is generous and giving, compassionate and loving, the benefactor or patron, sharing its wisdom, knowledge and wealth with others." nawww yes we like this

I got myself a SeenUnseen TriFrac hoodie printed in gold as well as a tank top to match my new black and gold Serpentine skirt. I'll just follow my instincts and roll blindly with that, considering that it just might be possible that my new found love of gold is somehow relevant to my desire to overcome addictions, fight for justice and share wisdom. Gold printed TriFrac gear coming out in the next few weeks

This used to be my lounge room....currently all rooms in my house except the bathroom and including the hallway look like this.

"I should be sewing right now but I have the itch to write and I think that just maybe if I scratch the itch I can calm myself and then settle into a work rhythm. The thoughts in my head are a running discussion over what success is and what failure is. FYI…I don’t have an answer"

ONE SLAP IN THE FACE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE VISION LATER AND WE WE'RE OFF!

I have been designing and creating clothing in Australia for nearly 10 years. In 2010 I opened a shop in Melbourne called The Pixie Collective. We now stock the work of over 120 artists and Australian designers. During this growth period I had begun to really think a lot about having clothing manufactured overseas, however I had serious ethical concerns and also concerns about quality but more immediately it seemed impossible as I had no money. So I continued along, running my shop and sewing as much as I could when I wasn't running the shop

In 2012 I was watching the solar eclipse reach totality....The sky went dark and it felt as if an electric shock rack through my whole body. I was frozen on the spot, tears began streaming down my face due to the overwhelming nature to what I was experiencing. In that moment a voice said 'do it now'....'what?' I replied...'DO IT NOW!!!!' it literally commanded. I knew it was talking about the business I had wanted to create for some time, I knew it was telling me that I was meant to go overseas and begin this new clothing label. I'm a little cheeky at times and i'd also been feeling quite creatively stunted for awhile due to a heavy workload. So i put my hands on my hips (feeling like a 4 year old) and said 'well if it's just so easy what am I going to make???!!!'....into my head beamed a vision, a few pieces of clothing took full form in my mind but more than that, an overall concept was given to me. I was to find an artist and co-create to bring UV reactive, fluorescent psychedelic art back into trance wear, but not in a loud full solid color way. I was to help those who had shied away from color to come back around by using color in a subtle psychedelic way. As if to represent that which hovers on the edge of perception as we glimpse into other realities. I was to meld this concept with my designs that would continue to be unique, playful, simple, elegant, well finished, durable and practical. "Well yeah ok but what about time, I'm too busy, money I've got none, finding manufacturers, what if they are terrible??????!!!!!" 'JUST DO IT!!! It will all be taken care of" was the reply

How can you argue with that?

So i just started. No money, little time, no artist, no manufacturers. I just started on the bit I could do, which was design.

In Dec 2012 synchronicity led me to first contact with the team that would eventually manufacture my clothing. A conversation about a friend of a friend who works from Bali with a fantastic team who she was really happy with. The friend of a friend had had all the same concerns as me so it was likely that if she was happy with the ethics, working conditions, wages and quality involving this team I would be too. It just felt right, so i began talk and checked that one off the list

In late Dec through another synchronicity, I was led to the artist InertG, USA. A long video chat with him led to much excitement and enthusiasm. Our visions for what we considered to be psychedelic were aligned with each others and also with my eclipse vision. He was very much excited by the idea of having his work put on clothing and I was very much excited by his awesome talent and the prospect of working together and creating together and hopefully growing together. Check

Money...Time....Really needing to be heading to meet my manufacture team in March/April....festival season, summer, so busy, so much to do.....money...no flight, no production costs....money....but i just kept working on what I could keep working on. When my spirits were low and it all felt impossible I just reminded myself that I had been guided to do this. That was so strong and undeniable! How could this possibly not work out? Just keep going!

In February, synchronicity came again. I was led to a very special person. This person had the desire to use a chunk of money to help someone create or begin a project, and suddenly there he was on my computer screen asking what my project/dream was, what I wanted to create. I described my story and he told me how he would very much like to help. He was not a person with unlimited funds at all, but he had a little money that wasn't doing anything useful and he would be happy to put it out in the world to help me. This was HUGE!!!! I had never met him, he'd met my husband but not me. We lived on the other side of the planet and in the beginning I was so overwhelmed by his generosity that I got a little scared, it was all a little too real, so big and intense to have a stranger want to help. With shaking hands I emailed him the reply that yes, I would like his help. and with that another box was checked....

Have you ever tried on or owned, an asymmetrical zip hoodie that looked fabulous on…but only if it was zipped up? Once you want to wear it open it hangs oddly, flaps about, and leaves you feeling off balance with one side heavier than the other. Here's a little blog about my journey with fixing this annoying glitch :)